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NEW HAMPSHIRE'S DAUGHTERS 

BOSTON. MASSACHUSETTS 
1910 



Folk-lore Sketches 



jiNT> REMINISCENCES OF 
tNEW HAMPSHIRE LIFE 






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PUBLISHED AND ARRANGED BY THE 
FOLK-LORE COMMITTEE 

NEW HAMPSHIRE'S DAUGHTERS 

BOSTON 



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NEW HAMPSHIRE'S DAUGHTERS 

MRS. JENNIE B. WADLEIGH, President 
1908—1910 



FOLK-LORE COMMITTEE 

MRS. SARAH ■ E. ODLIN, Chairman 
MRS. IDA FARR MILLER MISS FRANCES S. EMERSON 

MRS. MARCIA P. KIMBALL MISS MARY E. PERKINS 

MRS. EMMA L. LEWIS MISS MARTHA W. PIKE 

1908-1910 



f£ti 2 1911 



PREFATORY NOTE 




jN sending out this first volume of "New Hampshire 
Folk-lore " the compilers deeply acknowledge their 
source of inspiration to have been our beloved member, 
Eliza Nelson Blair, whose deep interest in the Folk-lore 
of her native State led her to begin the work that has now been con- 
cluded by the Folk-lore Committee. 

If, as we are told. New Hampshire's best product has been men, 
may we not with modesty say the next best has been women, for 
from " those towering hills " many have gone forth splendidly equipped 
mentally and physically for the work of life, and have worthily filled 
important positions. 

Eliza Nelson Blair was a native of Plymouth, the daughter of Rev. 
William Nelson and Dolly Sumner Elliott, his wife, and she grew to 
womanhood in one of our best and truest New Hampshire homes, 
in an atmosphere of learning and refinement, a home dignified by 
religious thoughts and practices, and following the best traditions of 
thrift and right living. In " Lizbeth Wilson " Mrs. Blair has chronicled 
the habits of thought and of work, the various pursuits and enjoy- 
ments of the people of her neighborhood, as they were told to her 
by her elders and as she knew them herself in her young days in 
their midst, and it has given us a true history of those sturdy God- 
fearing pioneer citizens who were the first settlers of our State. 

Rev. William Nelson was one of those earnest preachers of the 
Methodist Church known as " circuit riders," who went up and down 
the hills of Grafton County " shedding his light before men." This 
home in the beautiful hilly section of New Hampshire was the fitting 
atmosphere to develop a nature of such a literary tendency, and to 
give it the exact thoroughness that was so characteristic of all Mrs. 
Blair's work. 

Her outlook on life, cheerful and deep searching, must have taken 
on the breadth of beauty and range of vision learned from a study of 
those enchanting Campton Hills where she grew up and studied 

[ 3 I 



the deeper lessons of life. Whatever she did was done with a 
consciousness of having put her whole self into it, making well-developed 
and finished work, worthy to live after and still speak for her. 

In her home she filled her place with affectionate concern for hus- 
band and son, always their companion and helper, and in the larger 
political life she wielded a strong influence, always cheerful, uplifting 
and for good. 

In her club affiliations she put all the richness and maturity of her 
well trained nature and intense individuality. In our New Hamp- 
shire's Daughters her memory is especially dear, for with us she filled 
many positions, always with enthusiasm and marked ability that was an 
inspiration and will always be to us a delightful and lasting memory. 

Her last word to us was an appeal for her folk-lore program, which 
she gave with laugh and jest, yet with earnest appeal, for the subject 
was dear to her and had her deep interest. 

Before the time for presenting this program, the " Book of Life " 
was closed for her, and in this memorial form we embody her wishes 
for this folk-lore program, in affectionate memory of that true daughter 
of those " granite hills " : 

ELIZA NELSON BLAIR. 

I. F. M. 



4] 



laitti^ 



THE CAMPTON HILLS 



We came the year that I was three, 

To a new home where, rising high. 
From our north windows we could see 

The Campton hills against the sky. 
Doll in my arms, the changeful light 

I watched upon their sides at play — 
The rose of morning glowing bright, 

The evening shadows gathering gray. 

But when a few brief months had passed. 

Again another home we knew, 
Long miles away, and, fading fast. 

Life's daybreak dream was lost to view ; 
And Campton soon was but a name 

That woke no answers in my thought, 
Till life's grave years to meet me came, 

And I had been by sorrow taught ; 
When, journeying northward, unaware, 

Where lay the road, with a glad cry 
I knew, / l^new those heavenly fair 

Empurpled hills against the sky. 

They had the same enchanting hue 

That spellbound held my wondering eyes 
w hen all the world to me was new. 

And open gates had paradise. 
Dear long-hushed voices filled the air. 

And long-hid faces fondly smiled. 
And light shone round me everywhere — 

I was once more a little child ! 

Within the heart a silent power. 
The truth that seems forgotten lies. 

And sweet may be the heavenly flower 
Of life's unconscious memories. 

I'VrHlen by Marion Douglas 

{Mrs. Annie D. Robinson, of Bristol, N. H.) 

for New Hampshire 's Daughters, I 90 I 

[5] 



MRS. ELIZA NELSON BLAIR 

President 

NEW HAMPSHIRE'S DAUGHTERS 

1902 — 1904 



INAUGURATED FOLK-LORE COMMITTEE 
1904 



immamimi^^^^mmmmm^^^^^^^^m^^mmm^^^^^mm^^^^^^^^^^^^^ammmimmmmamaM 



FROM MRS. BLAIR'S WRITINGS 




HE definition of Folk-lore in Webster's Diction- 
ary published in 1 888 is, " Rural tales, legends 
or superstitions," and it is there named as a word 

of recent origin or use. This early title described 

a new study which science smiled at and approved, but did 
not quite admit to its strict communion. It was charming, 
of course; it preserved old timey yarns and fanciful conceits 
from oblivion. It gave work to those who were unable to 
perform the exacting labors of science, and was a valuable 
resource to the brain- weary when they wished to play in- 
stead of delving into real research. It was a graceful sort 
of literature, ornamental, like the frieze above mighty piers, 
but no part of a pier after all. Writers reveled in traditions 
of odd or awkward types of men and women, in ghosts, 
premonitions, second sight. Of course there were charming 
old love stories to be picked out by those who possessed 
the patience to unravel skeins of tangles such as are inevita- 
ble in confused statements of incidents related from very 
different points of view. These studies must always be 
made by those who delight to rummage around old 
garrets. 

One of the most delightful pictures of the old folk-lore 
series is that of a young, creepy and wide-eyed girl sitting at 
the feet of her grandmother listening to stories of butter that 
failed to " come " even though the cream was churned all 
day, until at last some one dropped a bright coin into the 
churn and directly butter appeared ; and of the crooked 
old woman, who belabored a man with her cane for an un- 
known sin. These girls also blushed brightly at the romance 
whose affirming symbol was a white bombazine or satin 
gown packed away in the duskiest corner of the spidery 
garret. These sort of tales were welcome everywhere be- 
cause true love stories touch the heart, while grotesque, 
droll and unusual traditions, as well as those of prowess, 
satisfy a Mother Goose instinct which never really quits any 



one until, or unless, the last spark of fun has been struck 
from a cooling heart. 

Latterly folk-lore, while losing nothing of its romantic nature, 
has enlarged its borders, so as to brmg cradle songs, games, 
home environment, etc., within its province. New Hampshire 
has been very rich in all these things, and her possessions 
are varied because her settlers were of several sorts, — from 
wandering fishermen, who pitched homes along our rivers 
and around our lakes, to the fore-handed, educated Derry- 
field colony. 

Town histories preserve very httle of tradition. As a 
rule they are correct as to genealogy, reliable concerning 
politics, religion, education, the crafts and agriculture, so far 
as bare statement of fact goes ; beyond that nearly all is 
lost. The rosy lights, deep shadows, pathos and poetry of 
life and living — even the humdrum monotony which made up 
much of its record — is sinking into a colorless background. 
Yet every lake, and hill, and farm almost has its sweet, or 
manly, or odd story. Wherever an old tavern, blacksmith's 
shop, or store has fallen down, right there remains among 
the wild roses which pathetically hide its crumbling founda- 
tion stones some dear old tale of love and wit, of wisdom or 
drollery, of adventure or endurance. Like the scent of dried 
rose leaves and lavender in their large oaken chests, and of 
herbs beside chimney nooks, they grow fainter and fainter, 
soon to pass altogether into oblivion. 

One who enters this field of literature will find the ghostly, 
immaterial, and grotesque story, shorter, easier to put together, 
in fact, right at hand in many instances. Yet the knowledge 
of these even is passing away, and more and more we have 
made-up men and women and incidents. The readiness 
with which one can glean something odd, vulgar, or ridicu- 
lous, explains why that sort of character has so long been 
exploited to the detriment of real New England men and 
women, who were generally lovely in mood and manner. 
One is easy to find, or draw unfound ; the other is true, and 
truth is always reached by careful observation. 

Contributed by Senator Blair 

[ 10 ] 



HISTORICAL 

AND 

LEGENDARY SKETCHES 



ORIGIN OF NAMES OF PLACES 

Kearsarge Mountain. Among the old beliefs is this as to the 
derivation of the name Kearsarge Mountain : One of the first settlers 
was named Currier Sargeant. At that lime the name Currier was pro- 
nounced by uneducated people " Kiah." After a time the mountain 
was called Kiahsarge. 

Contoocook. The name of a village in Hopkinton is many 
times pronounced incorrectly. The right pronunciation is Contoo- 
cook, an Indian name meaning "crow place, " as there were a great 
many crows near the river. 

Stirrup-Iron Brook. There is a small stream running through 
North Boscawen called Stirrup-Iron Brook. The legend is that 
Henry Dearborn of Revolutionary fame, a general in the War of 
1812, while on a visit to a sister in Salisbury, lost a stirrup-iron in the 
stream. Hence its name. 

Dingit Corner. The junction of several roads near the great 
bend of Blac'kwater River in Webster bears the name of Dingit 
Corner, so called, according to tradition, from a little domestic turmoil. 
A settler lived near the locality. One day there was a difference of 
opinion between him and his wife, and the latter seized a skillet to 
use as an argument in the case, but hesitated about throwing it. The 
husband, probably not having any great fear of the skillet, cried out 
" Ding it ! Ding it ! " Hence the name. 

Valley of Industry. There is a deep ravine at the northern end 
of King Street, in Boscawen, through which flows Mill Brook, upon 
which the first mill was erected. This is known as the Valley of 
Industry, from the number of industrial pursuits there carried on. 

Muchido. On the east side of the Merrimack River in Canter- 
bury is a high sandbank, called Muchido, which is a conspicuous 
landmark from the summit of Kearsarge Mountain. The tradition 
relative to the origin of the name is that an Indian, speaking broken 
English, exclaimed, " Much I do to climb it." 

[ 13 ] 



Wednesday Hill in Lee was so called because an Indian called 
Wednesday lived there for several years. 

Level's Mountain. One day in the early history of Nevs^ 
England, Farmer Lovel was splitting rails on one of the New Hamp- 
shire hills, afterward called Lovel's Mountain. He suddenly found him- 
self surrounded by six Indians, who told him he was their prisoner. 
He agreed to go with them quietly if they would allow him to finish 
the big chestnut log that he was working upon. As he was a pow- 
erful fellow and armed with an axe worth any two of their tomahawks, 
and would be sure to have the life of at least one of them if he was 
refused, they consented. 

Driving a wedge into the long split, he asked them to help him so 
he would sooner be ready to go with them, and when they had taken 
hold to pull the big log apart, he knocked the wedge out with a 
single blow and the twelve hands were caught tight in the closing 
wood. Struggle as best they might the Indians could not get free, 
and then Farmer Lovel calmly walked from one to the other and split 
open the heads of all six. Then he set to splitting up more chestnuts. 

Odiorne's Point, between Portsmouth and Rye, should be 
respected as the Plymouth Rock of New Hampshire. Here in 
1623 the little band landed who were commissioned by the Laconia 
Company in England to found a plantation. The first house in 
New Hampshire was erected here, and the first cemetery in New 
Hampshire was here also. 

In 1679, when New Hampshire was separated from Massachu- 
setts, the King appointed John Cult as president. The royal charter 
then given was the only one ever given to New Hampshire. Smith 
drew the first map of our coast in 1614, and on presenting it to 
Prince Charles, with a request that he would give the country a name, 
it was for the first time by him called New England. 

The White Mountains or Crystal Hills were in I 632 first visited 
by the white man, and the internal resources of the State began to 
be developed. 

[ 14 1 



Profile Notch. The grand portrait in rock in Profile Notch 
was regarded with reverence by the few red men who ventured into 
that lonely defile. When white men saw it they said it resembled 
Washington, and a Yankee orator is quoted as saying : " Men put 
out signs representing their different trades; jewelers hang out a 
monster watch, shoemakers a huge boot, and up in Franconia God 
Almighty has hung out a sign that in New England He makes men." 

Echo Lake. In Echo Lake, close by, the Deity was wont to 
repair that He might contemplate the beauties of nature, and the 
clear, repeated echoes were His voice speaking in gentleness or anger. 

Joe English Mountain in New Boston recalls the story of 
Joe English, the Indian scout. He was grandson to the chief Mas- 
connomet of Agawam. Friendly to the English, Joe served as scout 
in the war of 1 687. While with a party of whites he was captured 
by a band of hostile Indians and held prisoner. He pretended to be 
dissatisfied with his treatment by the English and talked of his wrongs 
till his captors relaxed their vigilance. Then he made his escape and 
rejoined the English. The Indians never forgave him for deceiving 
them, but pursued him with relentless hatred to the end of his days. 
One day, while hunting on the hill which bears his name, he was 
attacked by a hostile Indian. Knowing the lay of the land perfectly, 
he fled round the hill, the Indian in hot pursuit. As they neared a 
precipice at one side of the hill, Joe slackened his pace as if his 
strength was failing; but his pursuer redoubled his speed and had 
almost reached him when Joe suddenly swerved from his path. 
They were at the brink of the abyss. The enemy was running so 
swiftly that he could not turn aside, but plunged over the precipice 
and was dashed to pieces on the rocks below. 

When, some years later, the faithful scout was killed at Tyngsboro 
by his Indian foes while he was guarding Captain and Mrs. Butter- 
field on their journey from Dunstable to Chelmsford, his death was 
felt to be a public calamity. The General Court granted a sum of 
money to English's wife and children, and recorded the gift as due 
" because he died in the service of his country. 

1 15 ] 



RICHARD POTTER 



At some time in the vicinity of 1 800 a man by the name of 
Richard Potter came to Andover and resided in the village which 
was afterwards named for him Potter Place. As a ventriloquist and 
sleight of hand performer Richard Potter, at his best, had no rival in 
New England, perhaps in this country. It is related that on one of 
his trips he was delayed near Potter Place, had an opportunity to see 
something of the country, liked it, and bought the little farm where he 
later made his home. 

About himself he was very reticent. When he said anything, he 
claimed to be of East Indian origin. It was plain, however, to those 
acquainted with racial distinctions that both Potter and his wife had 
negro blood in their veins. 

He was not an East Indian, however, except in a remote way. His 
father was an English baronet. Sir Charles Henry Frankland ; his 
mother was Dinah, a negro slave belonging to the Frankland house- 
hold in Hopkinton, Mass. Sir Charles was of English parentage, but 
born In Bengal. This may have given Potter the hint for claiming 
East Indian origin. Frankland came to this country in an official ca- 
pacity and occupied a fine country residence in Hopkinton, Mass., 
where for a number of years his life was strangely out of touch with 
the social code of his rigidly moral neighbors. He had another ille- 
gitimate son named Henry Cromwell Potter. It is claimed that Sir 
Charles Frankland was a lineal descendant of Oliver Cromwell. 

Richard Potter was well educated and traveled extensively In Eu- 
rope. After the death of his father, who had married the beautiful 
and famous Agnes Surrlage of Marblehead, young Potter was obliged 
to depend upon himself. For a time he was a servant in the family 
of Gen. Henry K. Obrien's father, and was wont to amuse the chil- 
dren around the kitchen fireplace in Boston with his wonderful tricks 
as a ventriloquist and prestidigitator. He soon began his public ex- 
hibitions as an unequaled artist in his fine. 

From the headstone in the family lot on his old farm we learn that 

1 16 1 



he died September 20, 1835, aged fifty-two years. It is believed 
that he was actually older than indicated above. 

One of the anecdotes told of Potter was as follows : 
One night he was to perform in New Haven, Connecticut. On 
his arrival he went to the best hotel. . When dinner was served he 
started to enter the dining-room with the other guests. The landlord 
stopped him, saying his guests would not care to sit at table with a 
colored man. Mr. Potter went quietly back to the office and seated 
himself where he could command a good view of the table. At that 
time it was customary for the landlord to carve. A fine roasted pig 
was placed before him. At the first stroke of the carving knife a 
grunt issued from the pig. Every one started and looked at the pig. 
At the next incision such a piercing squeal was heard that some of the 
ladies became terror-stricken and left the table. The landlord was 
slow to comprehend, but after a time his face became white, he began 
to tremble and shouted in a loud voice, " My goodness, this pig ain't 
dead ! " After quiet had been restored a man present, v/ho had met 
Mr. Potter, said to the landlord, " I think if you should ask that 
gentleman in the office to dine with us you could carve your pig. " 

One hot summer day Mr. Potter was driving up a long hill. Just 
ahead of him was a very poor old horse trying to drag an over-loaded 
peddler's cart up the hill. The cruel peddler kept whipping the 
wilhng animal. Mr. Potter, who was a very humane, kindly man, 
became indignant. When the whip again descended the horse said, 
" I would go if you would give me something to eat ; have n't had 
an oat to-day." The driver was frantic with terror. He told a man 
who came along that the devil was in his horse and he would never 
draw rein over it again. So the man purchased the horse for a dollar. 



There is a village in New Hampshire which has produced twenty- 
six editors, and, in alluding to it, a good old deacon said, " Yes, there 
was twenty-six on 'em, but as they all left town and cleared out, I 
reckon the Lord won't lay it up agin us." 

I 17 1 



THE OLD GARRISON HOUSE 



Dating back with an undisputed record to 1658, the Garrison 
House is by far the oldest house in Exeter, New Hampshire. Its 
walls of square logs sheltered the earliest settlers and doubtless saved 
their scalps from the treacherous redskins who swarmed the banks of 
the Squamscott, within an arrow's range. Brave and loyal were 
these pioneers who forged their way through the wilderness, making 
this old Garrison House their first and safest place of shelter, and from 
sundown to dawn keeping an anxious watch over the little settlement 
through the tiny loopholes in the overhanging roof. 

The fine old mansion has not suffered at the hands of moderniza- 
tion. The rooms are low of ceiling and beautifully paneled in the 
fashion of former centuries ; queer little cupboards abound, small, 
rambling halls show up most unexpectedly, coming from no one knows 
where and leading sometimes to a sharp corner, sometimes to a steep 
stair or two, on through a labyrinth of rooms both large and small. 
Upstairs, by the way of a square stairway so narrow that it might 
have belonged to a toy house, is the room where Daniel Webster 
lived when a student at Phillips Exeter Academy in I 796. Under 
the oldest part of the house is a subcellar presumably made as a place 
of further concealment in case of Indian raids. Tradition tells of an 
underground passage leading from the cellar to the nearby river, thus 
affording an additio'nal means of escape. The huge chimney became 
unsafe a few years ago, and was torn down and replaced with one 
of smaller size, but tales are told of a secret stairway close to the old 
chimney designed for quick escape in time of great need. 

The Clifford family moved into this house about 1 788 or 1 789. 

Dr. William Perry recalls Miss Betsy Clifford, daughter of Mr. 
Ebenezer Clifford, who was living in the old house nearly fifty years 
ago and who gave her property to help Christianize and civilize the 
Indians. 

He describes her as a very quaint old lady — prim and formal, with 
rather a cold expression, and decided in her opinions. She was a 
noticeable figure in her old-time costume and calash of green silk. 

[ 18 ] 



VAGRANTS OF THE LAST CENTURY 

The modern tramp has little in common with his predecessors. 
These people were usually slightly demented, and the town authorities 
were often criticized for not confining them in a suitable institution. 

One such character was known as " Old H.," and traveled with 
the greatest regularity between the cities of Haverhill and Concord. 
He carried a small valise, in which there was always a bottle of gin. 
People gave him food and lodging as a matter of course, and he fre- 
quently made requests for hot water and sugar, which, combined with 
the contents of the above-mentioned bottle, seemed a necessary sleep- 
ing potion. 

It was whispered that he belonged to a good family, and that his 
friends had made many vain attempts to keep hinn with them. 

At least two generations of children had outgrown their terror and 
learned to regard him with toleration, if not with interest, when he 
disappeared, just as his successor, the modern tramp, came into promi- 
nence. Whether " Old H." disliked the association with such ple- 
beian wayfarers, or whether some sudden illness proved fatal or left 
him too decrepit for his former life, we never knew. 

Many others are recalled who were regarded with good-natured 
toleration, and their class forms a picturesque element in the history of 
rural New Hampshire. ■ti' 

JOSEPH CUTTER 

Joseph Cutter, born I 752 at Lexington, Mass. ; died in Jaffrey, 
New Hampshire, in 1840. About I 772 he located in Jaffrey and 
purchased land on the side of grand old Monadnock, built a log cabin, 
and from time to time made additional purchases, until he became the 
largest land-owner in the town. On this tract he settled his five sons, 
giving each a farm. To his eldest son he gave the homestead, where 
the son in 1 806 erected a spacious mansion, now owned by his 
great-grandson, Joel H. Poole, and known as the " Ark." In 1 802 
he opened an inn at Jaffrey Centre, and the swinging sign, still intact, 
is owned by his great-granddaughter, Anna B. Cutter Roberts, of 
Roxbury, Mass., a member of New Hampshire's Daughters. 

f 19 1 



THE STORY OF MARY WILSON 

Previous to the year 1 720 several families sailed from Scotland to 
found new homes in America. Among them w^ere young James 
Wilson and his wife. 

Little is known of the early part of the voyage, but when about 
one-third of the passage was accomplished a pirate-ship was sighted, 
and her boats were soon alongside the vessel. The pirates climbed 
aboard, bound the men, and seized the valuables. 

The captain, seeing a woman lying in the cabin, stopped and in a 
rough voice asked why she was there. Uncovering a baby's face 
three days old, she told him to look. His manner suddenly changed, 
and he asked if the babe was a boy or a girl. Upon being told it 
was a girl, he requested that he might name her, promising to unbind 
the men, return the valuables, and leave the ship unharmed. Per- 
mission being given, he named the child " Mary," and departed for 
his own ship. 

Very soon he returned and went directly to the cabin. Taking 
from a parcel a piece of brocade satin of very fine texture, he laid it 
on the berth, saying, " Let Mary wear this on her wedding day." 
He then left the vessel and was seen no more. 

In due time the travelers reached the fertile valley in New Hamp- 
shire which was to be their future home. James Wilson died soon 
after. For years the people of the little hamlet set apart July 28 as 
a day of thanksgiving for their deliverance. 

In the year 1 732 Thomas Wallace came to America and settled 
in Londonderry, and married " Ocean Mary Wilson," her wedding- 
dress being made from the pirate's gift. Later generations wore the 
dress on similar occasions. 

Mary Wallace had four sons. Three of them moved to Henniker, 
New Hampshire, where she spent her last years. She died in 1814, 
aged ninety-four years. Her grave is in the Canton burying-ground, 
the inscription being : 

" In memory of 

Widow Mary Wallace." 

[ 20 ] 



THE PASSING OF THE POORHOUSE 



It was my good fortune to live in the same school district and to 
associate daily with the little folks of the town poor. I do not be- 
lieve that any one of us was ever guilty of making them feel that they 
were in any way inferior to us. Dear little things they were, beauti- 
fully clean and tidy, under the faithful care of the superintendent's wife. 
The old people in the institution were looked upon much as we 
now regard the inmates of old people's homes. Why should it be 
considered a disgrace to live in the poorhouse, when some ancestor 
had paid taxes for many years consecutively ? 

Our mothers sometimes made social calls upon these old ladies, and 
were much interested in their bits of gossip. 

Old Mrs. G— was brought in great state from the poorhouse 
once each year to do our family spinning. That was a happy time 
for us. After her work was done for the day. she spun other yarns 
and we listened, breathless, to her stories of many years ago, when 
she was a little girl. A sweeter, sunnier, more lovable octogenarian 
I have never known. 

REV. ABRAHAM BURNHAM 

Rev. Abraham Burnham, D. D., was pastor of the Congregational 
Church in Pembroke, New Hampshire, for a period of more than fifty 
years, during which lime Pembroke Academy was built under his special 
patronage, and he always called the school his " child," which was 
made .the special object of his prayers in words like these which follow : 

" Oh ! Thou omnipotent, omniscient, all-wise, and all-powerful God, 
look down upon us at this time and bless us ! Bless all the institutions 
of learning in our midst. Thou knowest, O Lord, we mean the ' old 

Brick!'" 

Owing to some dissensions in the board of trustees, of which he was 
president for many years, a new house of wood had been erected 
in the neighborhood, and he did not wish the Lord to make a mistake. 
This story was related to Gov. Nalhaniel Head by his father, who 
heard the prayer. 

[ 21 1 



THE EXECUTION OF RUTH BLAY 

In August, 1 768, Ruth Blay, of South Hampton, New Hamp- 
shire, was sentenced to be hanged for concealing the death of her 
child, whereby it might not be known whether it was born alive or 
not, or whether it was murdered or not. The English statutes pre- 
scribed the penalty of death for this offense. As Ruth was carried 
through the streets her shrieks filled the air. She was dressed in silk 
and driven under the gallows in a cart. 

Public sympathy was awakened for her, and her hiends had pro- 
cured from the Governor a reprieve which would have soon resulted 
in her pardon, for circumstances afterward showed that her child was 
probably still-born and she was not a murderer. The hour for her 
execution arrived, and the sheriff, not wishing to be late to his dinner, 
it is said, ordered the cart to be driven away, and the unfortunate 
woman was left hanging from the gallows, a sacrifice to misguided 
judgment. 

A reprieve from the Governor came a few minutes after her spirit 
had been hastened away. The indignation of the people can hardly 
be imagined. They gathered around the residence of Sheriff Packer, 
and an effigy was then erected bearing this inscription : 
" Am I to lose my dinner 

This woman for to hang ? 
Come draw away the cart, my boys, 
Don't stop to say amen ! 
Draw away the cart ! 
Draw away the cart ! " 

Ruth was the first one buried in the cemetery, ninety-seven years 
after it was designated as a " place to bury the dead in." 

There was an old tradition that if one went to the spot on a moon- 
light night and called out, " Ruth Blay, Ruth Blay, what were you 
hung for ? " she would answer " Nothing." 

An old New Hampshire phrase when speaking of Boston was 
" down below " or " going below." 

1 22 1 



THE SALAMANDER 



A hundred years ago a bed in the kitchen was very common, and 
many a girl felt that when she was married she would enjoy this lux- 
ury. This true story came from a town not far from Concord, New 
Hampshire. 

A saying strongly believed at that time was, that if a family kept 
the fire in the fireplace twenty-five years without allowing it to go out, 
a salamander would come and eat up the fire at the end of the 
quarter century. A couple had kept the spark aglow on the hearth. 
One day the woman decided to have a boiled dinner, and planned 
to have an Indian-meal pudding boiled in the pot with the pork and 
vegetables. She had the pot over the fire, and the dinner was well 
underway, bag-pudding and all. She stepped out of the kitchen for 
a few minutes, and when she returned she saw a strange object 
traveling across the kitchen floor and go under the bed. Smoke and 
ashes were rolling out of the fireplace. She saw the track of this ob- 
ject across the unpainled floor, saw the fire was out, and at once de- 
cided that a salamander had come. She hastened to the door and 
said : " Jacob, the fire has burned twenty-five years, and- the sala- 
mander has come and eaten it up. The salamander is under the bed. 
Get your ax and kill it." 

Jacob took the ax and came in, wonder-eyed. The smoke and 
ashes were still in evidence. He examined the track from the fire- 
place until it disappeared under the bed. Cautiously he looked under 
and saw the salamander. The brave (?) man attacked the intruder 
with the long-handled fire shovel, and brought the furred and feathered 
object from under the bed. He saw what looked like the strong 
string used in tying a pudding bag trailing after the salamander. Upon 
closer examination he found that the defenseless salamander was his 
wife's Indian pudding. It had rolled out of the pot when the hook 
on the crane broke, and in its transit across the unswept floor and 
under the bed its greasy surface had gathered a coat of lint and 
feathers. The pot liquor had put out the fire, and the supposed ad- 
vent of the unwelcome salamander was explained. 

f 23 1 



FIRST TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT IN 
CENTER HARBOR 

In early days it was the invariable custom to furnish liquor to the 
men who raised a building. In 1 837 the first Congregational Church 
was erected in Center Harbor. Mr. John Coe, who was a strong 
temperance man, determined that this house of God should be raised 
without liquor. 

The day before the frame was ready it was rumored among the 
men who were to help that no liquor would be furnished. They de- 
cided that when everything was ready they would refuse to take hold. 
This coming to the ears of the master workman, Jonathan Hanson, 
commonly known as Quaker Hanson, he hastened to inform Mr. Coe. 
Mr. Coe said nothing, but harnessed his horse and rode away. It 
was late at night when he returned. 

Next morning at the appointed hour the men a3sembled, saw no 
signs of liquor, and smiled to think of the surprise and dismay when 
they refused to help. 

It lacked but five minutes of the appointed hour, the interest on 
both sides was intense, when a team containing two or three men 
was seen coming down the hill from Meredith, then another and 
another, till twenty teams, with more than twice that number of men, 
had arrived from Meredith. 

Elder Hiram Stevens, one of their number, was called upon to 
offer prayer, and, mounting one of the timbers, in tones of no uncertain 
sound, he began his forcible petition, " O Lord, nerve the arm of the 
cold-water men ! " This was too much for their opponents, and, 
finding themselves defeated, they wisely concluded that, as the build- 
ing could be raised without their help, they might as well assist. 

That little church still stands, a monument to the cause of temper- 
ance, for after that no liquor was ever furnished at a raising in this 
town. 

The careful housewife told her gids not to stir with a knife — be- 
cause, " Stir with a knife and you stir up strife." 

1 24 1 



INTERESTING FACTS 



r 



Some of the oldest houses and most interesting historical places, 
also facts, are in Portsmouth, Greenland, and New Castle, New 
Hampshire : 

In 1623 the first works of Fort Constitution in New Castle 
were built. 

In 1638 the Weeks House, which is the oldest house in New 
Hampshire, was built in Greenland. 

In I 664 the Jackson House, which is the oldest one in Portsmouth, 
was built. 

In 1 732 the St. John's Episcopal Church was built on the site of 
Queen's Chapel, in Portsmouth. 

St. John's Church has in its possession one of the four " Vinegar " 
Bibles in the country. Of the others, one is in Christ Church in 
Boston, another in Philadelphia, and the third in the Lenox Library 
in New York. They get their name from the mistake the printer 
made when he rendered the parable of the vineyard as the parable 
of the vinegar. 

In 1 750 the old Wentworth Mansion in Portsmouth was 
built. It was the home of Gov. Benning Wentworth, and from 
under its roof were issued the first edicts of oppression which stirred 
the people to revolt. 

In 1 756 the New Hampshire Gazette, the oldest newspaper in 
America, was established October 7. 

In 1 758 the Todd House in Portsmouth wasbuilt. 

In I 784 Governor Langdon's house in Portsmouth was built. 

In 1 79 1 the Methodist Episcopal Church in Greenland was one 
of the first founded in New England. Rev. Jesse Lee was appointed 
presiding elder of New England. 

[25 ] 



THE KNOX FAMILY 



When the Knoxes first came to Pembroke there was no tillage 
land except along the rivers, where the trees had been cleared away 
and wild grass grew luxuriantly. These Indian meadows were much 
sought after by the settlers as a means of wintering their live-stock. 

The Knox family owned large tracts of land in London and on the 
Suncook river, where they used to keep their cattle during the winter. 
The boys while caring for them enjoyed the hunting. 

Aunt Lydia Knox, born in I 792, who lived to be eighty-eight 
years old, is authority for the story of Uncle Tim Knox's shooting a 
panther. Uncle Tim had been home to Pembroke to get provisions. 
He started on his way back to the meadows a little later in the day. 
Towards dark he became aware that something was following him. 
Not daring to go on in the dark, he stopped and built a fire and 
gathered a lot of wood for the night. 

He camped at the butt of a big log, and soon he heard something 
prowling around ; as the fire would go down it would come nearer, 
until finally he saw its eyes like two balls of fire, and near the top of 
the fallen tree he was camped by. When he stirred the fire it would 
slink off. He examined his gun and let the fire burn down and 
waited until the animal raised its head over the top of the log. Taking 
aim between its two fiery eyes, he fired and it fell backward. He 
then replenished his fire and kept it burning brightly until morning, 
when he went out to investigate and found a large panther dead. 

At this time there was only a walk through the woods. After- 
wards they had a cart-path and drove through with oxen, there being 
no roads laid out. The path of this Old Knox Trail is still of interest 
to visitors in Pembroke and London and the country about. 

A well-known toy to mothers of the olden time had a piece of 
coral on the end upon which the children cut their teeth. The coral 
was supposed to be a safeguard against sickness, the brilliancy of its 
coloring varying with the health of the wearer. 

[ 26 1 



EARLY ANECDOTES 

SIGNS AND OMENS 

EPITAPHS 

ETC. 



REMINISCENCES OF JAMES B. MCGREGOR 

In the year 1825 I was clerking in Aaron Neltleton's store and 
distinctly remember Lafayette's visit to Newport. 

Messrs. Howley and Gilman owned the stage route from Salisbury 
to Concord, and made great preparations to carry the distinguished 
visitor in a manner befitting his rank. Four white horses caparisoned 
in rich trappings bore the equipage along the country roads lined with 
people. 

He was expected to arrive in Newport in the morning, and a thou- 
sand people assembled to greet him. The day wore on and the 
throng grew restless, as the weather was very warm. To pass away 
the time, they began to drink lemon punch, which I assisted in making 
in Mr. Nettleton's store. The washtubfuls disappeared as if by 
magic. 

About sunset a very merry crowd pressed forward to escort Lafay- 
ette into one of the most beautiful villages in New England. He was 
soon driven to Colonel Cheeney's house for lunch, and later continued 
on his way to Windsor. 

The year 1816 was known as Starvation Year. Not a sound ear 
of corn was raised in New England, and if it had not been for the 
rye and potatoes, people would have starved. June 1 5 I drove oxen 
to harrow in the oats and had to wear mittens to keep my hands from 
freezing. Snow fell every month of the year. 



Croydon, the home of Jethro Bass, was the home of many other 
quaint characters. On Pine Hill, near Long Pond, lived a Mr. 
Patten, of whose age no authentic record existed, neither did Mr. 
Patten himself know. On a rainy day, in the store at East Village, 
his age was discussed. The wag of the village said, " All I know 
about it is, that when Christopher Columbus discovered America, he 
found ' Old Patten ' haying in the Washburn meadow in Springfield." 

f 29 1 



When I was teaching school in the town of Lyman in 1821,1 
boarded with a Mr. and Mrs. Gibson. A few years previous Mrs. 
Gibson had been accused of being a witch and tried. The story is 
as follows : 

Mrs. Gibson had several daughters, and a man by the name of 
Eastman had been keeping company with one of them. The course 
of true love did not run smoothly and Eastman was rejected. 

One day Mr. Eastman was driving past the Gibson house when 
one of the wheels of his cart ran off the axle into the ditch, and as 
fast as he could put it on it ran off again. He concluded it was be- 
witched. On arriving home, he found a litter of young pigs dancing 
on their hind legs (not an unusual occurrence), but to his excited mind 
a sure proof that a witch held him and his in her power. He went 
to the pump in the yard for water to heat to scald the pigs, when lo ! 
no water came forth to his repeated efforts. He at once jumped on 
his horse and rode at breakneck speed to the Gibson house. He 
found Mrs. Gibson lying down after a hard day's work, and the abuse 
he heaped on her head was more than the neighbors could bear and 
they drove him away. 

He had her arrested. The trial was held in the meeting house, 
and people came from miles around to be present at what proved the 
last trial of its kind in New Hampshire. The jury found her guiltless 
and ordered him to pay her fourteen dollars and cost of trial. 

One time when I was living in Claremont I fell from a house 
which I was painting a.'id dislocated my shoulder. Of course, I was 
in no condition to work, and, to kill time, accepted an invitation from 
two cousins to visit a Spiritualist medium with them, as they were 
going to consult her on business. 

They had talked with her a long time, when she said to me, 
" Why don't you ask questions ? " As the pain in my shoulder kept 
my mind pretty much on that subject, I said, " Is this shoulder going 
to kill me ? " " Humph ! you will never die." 

[We presume her prediction will not prove true, but Mr. McGregor 
celebrated his one hundred and eighth birthday in September, 1 909.] 

f 30 1 



STORIES OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH 



The sexton oi St. John's Church, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 
will tell the visitor of the woman buried there who caused a bottle of 
ether to be put in her coffin because she feared she might be buried 
alive, and if she should come back to life she would have the ether 
at hand to produce a succession of sleeping periods which she hoped 
would last until the resurrection trumpet should sound. 

But after all, perhaps the great possession of the church is the story 
of the unique " pop-the-question " method of handsome Nicholas 
Rousselet on a day when he sat with pretty Katherine Moffat in her 
father's pew. He was guest and suitor, and he had been wooing 
the daughter of his host industriously for some time. 

On this Sunday he handed Katherine a Bible open at the Second 
Epistle of St. John, which is addressed to " the elect lady," in which 
he had marked the fifth verse : " And now I beseech thee, lady, not 
as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which 
we had from the beginning, that we love one another." 

Katherine was ready-witted with her reply, and she seems to have 
had her mind ready made up. She returned the Bible with her 
finger on the sixteenth verse of the first chapter of the Book of Ruth : 
" Whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge ; 
thy people shall be my people," and so on through the familiar pas- 
sage. Presumably the negotiations were closed in the orthodox 
manner in some less public place. 



Ethan Allen Crawford, the most famous of mountain pioneers, 
opened the first footpath up Mt. Washington in 1819. His 
brother, Thomas J. Crawford, opened the first bridle-path in 1 840, 
and his father, then seventy-five years old, rode the first horse that 
climbed the mountain. 

[ 31 1 



DR. JONES 

An eccentric man of Hollis, New Hampshire, in the early part of 
the nineteenth century, called himself Dr. Jones. He wandered about 
and was entertained by charitable people. 

One night he was entertained by an old woman for whom he was 
to write an epitaph in return. At night he wrote : 

" Good old Susan died of late, 
Straight she went to Heaven's gate." 

Not being pleased with his entertainment, the lines he added in the 
morning were : 

" There Gabriel met her with a club, 
And knocked her down to Beelzebub." 

At one time when he was somewhere seated at a second table 
and requested to ask the blessing, he said : 

" Cursed be the owls that picked the fowls, 
And left the bones for Doctor Jones." 

His gravestone of dark slate is in a remote corner of the old burial 
ground behind the church in Hollis. He is said to have had the 
stone cut himself and the date of his death was never added. The 
lines on the stone have been printed among curious epitaphs: 

" In youth he was a scholar bright, 
In learning he took great delight. 
He was a major's only son. 
It was for love he was undone." 



Many signs were formulated by the people from their observation 
of the conditions foretelling ihe weather. For instance : The sun 
drawing water foretells rain the next day. If the teakettle boils dry, 
it will rain. If the fog rises, rain is predicted also ; but if the fog 
settles, it will be fair. When the sun sets in a cloud, it is a sign that it 
will rain the next day. If a storm clears off in the night, it is a sign 
of rain the next day. 

f 32 1 



LEGEND OF LAKE WINNEPISEOGEE 



Ahanton, the chief who dwelt on the shores of the lake, had a 
daughter, Ellacoya, who was the most beautiful maiden of all the 
tribes. Many chieftains had in vain sought to wed her ; she loved 
none of them. 

At length Kona, the Eagle, crossed the lake in his canoe and 
wooed Ellacoya. He was young, brave, and handsome, and the 
eagle plumes in his hair betokened his high rank as a chief. 

At the critical moment when Ellacoya was responding to his suit, 
her father, Ahanton, returned from a victorious fray, recognized Kona 
as chief of a hostile tribe, and would have sprung upon him, tom- 
ahawk uplifted, if Ellacoya had not rushed between them to plead 
for her lover. The fact that Kona had come fearlessly into a village 
of his enemies to ask for the hand of the beautiful Ellacoya inclined 
Ahanton towards him ; he consented to make a treaty of peace with 
him and to give him Ellacoya for his bride. 

Two days and nights the wedding feast was held. On the third 
day Kona and Ellacoya in their canoe were accompanied half way 
across the lake by Ahanton and his people in gayly decorated barges. 
As they parted the sun shone forth brilliantly upon the water. " it 
is a happy omen," cried Ahanton ; " hereafter let the water be known 
as the smile of the Great Spirit — Winnepiseogee." 



A very popular rhyme among the children and young people was 
in reference to the evening star. At the first glimpse of the star they 
repeated the lines : 

" Star light, star bright, 
I wish I may, I wish 1 might 
Have the wish I wish to-night, ' 

at the same time wishing for something greatly desired. 



" Cat sticks," wood too small to be split. 

f 33 1 



SMALLPOX 



Before the introduction of kinepox, which was not discovered until 
near the close of 1 700, all who wished to be secure from taking the 
smallpox in the natural way were vaccinated for it, and withdrew for 
three or four weeks from intercourse with the world. 

From 1773 to 1797, Shapleigh's Island in Portsmouth Harbor 
was used as the Pest Island, and every few years parties went there 
to have the smallpox. 

There were more who spent a summer month in this way than at 
the watering places. They had one advantage over the latter, for, as 
they could but once be of such a party, it remained a novelty through 
life. There was about an equal proportion of both sexes, and it is 
said the little knight of the bow and arrow made himself particularly 
busy among them. 

In a letter from Joseph Barrell, a merchant, dated July 8, 1 776, 
addressed to Colonel Wentworth of Portsmouth, is this postscript: 
" Mr. Storer has invited Mrs. Martin to take the smallpox at his house. 
If Mrs. Wentworth desires to get rid of her fears in the same way, 
we will accommodate her in the best way we can. 1 've several friends 
that I 've invited, and none of them will be more welcome than Mrs. 
Wentworth." 

About sixty years ago a little girl in Hillsborough County paid her 

first visit to Boston. Elder B , the minister, asked her after her 

return how she liked Boston. " Why," said little Janey, " I did not 
see Boston, there were so many houses." 

>^ 

There is a road in Stratham called " Frying-pan Lane," because 
the early settlers owned only one frying-pan between them and planned 
their days for frying accordingly, passing it round from one neighbor to 
another. 

Farmers used to say : When the bob-o-links come, and the oak 
leaves are as large as a mouse's ear, then it was time to plant corn. 

1 34 1 



AN APOLOGY 



Two Scotch-Irish neighbors by the names of Humphrey and Steele, 
Hving in the southeast part of Derry, had a feud of long standing. 
Humphrey was critically ill, and old Parson McGregor sought to 
make friends of them. He brought Steele to the bedside of his sick 
neighbor. They agreed to forgive and forget, and shook hands. 
Just as Steele was going out of the door his neighbor raised himself 
in bed, saying, " Mind ye, Neighbor Steele, if I get well, this old 
grudge holds gude.' 

Neighbor Humphrey did get well, and soon had another quarrel 
with Neighbor Steele because of the trespassing of some cattle. 

Among other things Steele called Humphrey a liar, and was called 
to account for it before the church and required to confess and ask 
forgiveness, or be put out of the church. He apologized thus : " I 
called Brother Humphrey a liar. I am sorry ; but it is a failing I 've 
had from my youth up of speaking the truth." 

LARKIN MASON'S REPORT 

The Hon. Larkin D. Mason, of Tamworth, New Hampshire, was 
judge of probate for his county, and a very prominent man in politics 
in his day. His son came home on fudough from the army during 
the civil war and brought the army itch, and the whole family took it. 

Mr. Mason called in a doctor from the neighboring town of Mere- 
dith, who left some medicine to be taken according to directions. The 
doctor told Mr. Mason that he wanted to hear from him in a few 
days. Mr. Mason reported as follows : " We have used the medicine 
internally and externally, the disease still rages infernally, and it looks 
to me as though it would last eternally." 

At one lime a law existed in New Hampshire forbidding profanity, 
and among the town's records are various fines for profane swearing, 
the largest one noted being thirty-five cents. 

f 35 1 



REV. LABAN AINSWORTH 



One of the " grand old men " of Jaffrey, New Hampshire, was the 
Rev. Laban Ainsworth, a man of intellectual strength, sound judg- 
ment, courteous manners, and ready wit. 

He was born July 19, 1757, and died March 17, 1858, over 
one hundred years old. He was pastor of the Congregational 
Church for seventy-six and one-half years. 

Among the many childhood remembrances of his quick thought 
that come to mind is this : Among his parishioners was a family noted 
for slovenly habits and shiftlessness in every way. About every year 
they came to church with another baby to be christened. At last, 
when the twelfth was presented, the holy man said " What name ? " 
The reply was, " Laban Ainsworth." Immediately he said, " I bap- 
tize thee Solomon Ainsworth." The parents expostulated, but the 
child was named, and the Rev. Ainsworth did not have his honorable 
name perpetuated in that family. 

In the early part of the last century the annual muster of the various 
branches of the New Hampshire State Militia was an exciting event 
in the few holidays of the year. 

In Goffstown, Hillsborough County, there lived old Captain G , 

who was noted for his bibulous proclivities. As he was to report for 
duty at a very early hour on the muster field at the west part of the 
town, he had fortified himself with a stiff dose of grog and started to 
walk the two and a half miles. As he passed the graveyard at the 
Centre he saw a man and a woman rising into view from the east side 
of the yard, which declined quite a little in that direction. " Hold 
on ! hold on ! " said he, " the Angel Gabriel has n't blown his 
trumpet ! Get back into your graves ! This is the day of the 
Goffstovm muster ! " 

The worthy couple, having errands on the way, had started from 
their home on the back road to Manchester before sunrise, so as to 
be on hand for all the sights of the great occasion. 

I 36 1 



A BRAVE WOMAN 



When Tilly Brockway, of Bradford, New Hampshire, was a young 
man, he left home and went to Nova Scotia to work, and finally 
married there. 

When their first child was a few months old he decided to send 
his wife home to his father's. She stopped in Washington with 
friends for a little while, and then went to her husband's father's 
home. 

There were no roads at that time (more than a hundred years ago) 
between Washington and Bradford, and in order to reach her des- 
tination she traveled on horseback alone, carrying her baby in her 
arms over Lovell's Mountain, with only a bridle path to mark the 
way, a distance of about four miles, and the woods filled with wild 
animals. 

At that time very few settlers were in that vicinity, and it was 
through the wilderness she traveled. She was strong, very self-reliant 
and of great courage, and became the mother of ten children, who 
were an honor to their mother and to their native State, New Hamp- 
shire. 



Most of the women of the olden times were as excellent riders 
upon the horse as were the men. One of these was called to a dis- 
tant part of the town one spring day to see a sick friend. She passed 
through some woods and across a bridge over the Contocook river. 
The river was high and rising higher with the rapidly melting snow. 

She returned after dark, but, trusting her faithful horse, reached 
home safely. Her family were much surprised to see her and asked 
her how she crossed the river. " Upon the bridge, of course," said 
she. But such was not the fact, for the planking of the bridge had 
been washed away, and she had crossed upon one of the stringers. 
She noticed her horse stopped when he came to the bridge and 
stepped very carefully, but she supposed all was right and trusted him. 

[ 37 1 



MARY'S LITTLE LAMB 



So few of the stories that are believed so implicitly in childhood 
are left us, that it is pleasant to find even one that is true. 

The little idyl of Mary's Lamb, undoubtedly the most popular 
poem ever written for children in any language, was composed by 
a New Hampshire girl in Newport, in Sullivan County. One of the 
most beautiful towns in the Granite State was the scene of this 
famous nursery rhyme. The lasting praise for giving it to the 
world belongs to Sarah J. Buell Hale, who was born in the hamlet 
of Guild, two miles from the centre of Newport village. Mrs. Hale 
was born October 24, 1 795, and published her first literary efforts in 
the local paper of her native town. She published several volumes 
in prose and poetry. She was called to Boston to take charge of the 
newly-established Ladies' Magazine, which she ably conducted for 
nine years. While she was in Boston she engaged actively in philan- 
thropic and educational work and organizations. She organized in Bos- 
ton the Seaman's Aid Society, which was the parent of many similar 
organizations in various ports. Later Mrs. Hale removed to Philadel- 
phia, where she edited Godey's Lady's Book for forty years. She 
organized a fair by which the women of New England raised fifty 
thousand dollars to complete Bunker Hill Monument. She also 
planned for the national celebration of Thanksgiving Day, which 
President Lincoln adopted in I 864. A busy, most useful Christian 
career ended on earth when, on April 30, 1879, New Hampshire's 
gifted daughter passed on. 



Those of you who have walked or driven on the Brentwood Road 
must have noticed, a short way out of Exeter, a piece of remarkably 
rocky ground surrounding a small white house. Here, as the story 
goes, the devil's apron string broke and spilled the load of stones which 
he was carrying from Durham Point to Kingston Plains. Conse- 
quently Kingston Plains remains without stones to this day. 

1 38 1 



Throughout New Hampshire, in the early days, the people gener- 
ally felt the reverence for the minister of the town that was common 
all through New England. But there was one original, unconven- 
tional and eccentric man, who was independent in that respect. On 
one occasion the minister had exhorted his congregation in his most 
earnest manner, and had talked even longer than usual. At last, 
having advanced every argument in the most impressive manner, he 
asked, " Now, my friends, what more can I say ? " when this eccen- 
tric member of his flock instantly answered, " Say Amen, what you 
ought to have said half an hour ago ! " 

There lived in Portsmouth a man who was distinguished for walking 
very long distances. It was said he could easily walk forty miles in 
eight hours. Once, when he was returning from one of his long walks, 
he was overtaken by a heavy shower. An acquaintance, driving rapidly 
by, stopped his carriage and invited him to step in, as it was raining so 
hard, and he would leave him at his door. The man glanced over 
his shoulder and called out : " Oh, no, thank you ; I have n't time ! " 
and continued his rapid strides. 

He walked from Portsmouth to Philadelphia to visit his sister. 
When she saw him she exclaimed, " Why, John, you forgot to put on 
your collar." " Oh, did I ? " he replied ; " I 11 go right back and 
get it," and went out, to go to his hotel, his sister supposed ; but she 
did not see him again that day, for he had immediately started on his 
return walk back to Portsmouth. 

Once upon a time there lived in New Hampshire a man so lazy 
that he decided it was better to die than make the necessary effort to 
get his daily bread. His thrifty neighbors officiated at his funeral with- 
out any great show of grief, but the procession on its way to the cem- 
etery was stopped by a stranger who wished to know the usual details 
of such occasions. Upon being informed, he remarked that rather 
than let the man die he would have given a bushel of corn. There- 
upon a voice from within the hearse called out, " Is the corn shelled ? 
'' No, it is on the cob," replied the sympathetic stranger. " Then drive 

on " was the prompt response. 

I 39 1 



EPITAPHS 



" To all my friends I bid adieu 
A more sudden death you never knew 
As I was leading the old mare to drink 
She kicked and killed him quicker'n a wink" 

Oxford, N. H. 

" Richard Jenkins here doth lay 
(Lately removed from over the way) 
His bodys here his souls in Heaven 
1767" 

New Hampshire 

" Here lies our beloved daughter 
Killed by the hand of the malicious Henry 
Who on the way to school he met her 
And with a six self-cocked pistol shot her " 

New Hampshire 

" Here lies old Caleb Ham 
By trade a bum 
When he died the devil cried 
Come Caleb come " 

New Hampshire 

" How strange O God who reigns on high 
That I should come so far to die 
And leave my friends where I was bred 
To lay my bones with strangers dead 
But I have hopes when I arise 
To dwell with thee in yonder skies" 

Cor^cord, N. H. 

" Here lies Cynthia Stevens, wife 
She lived six years in calms and strife 
Death came at last and set her free 
I was glad and so was she " 

New Hampshire 

\ 40 1 



' Peace be to thee, gentle boy, 
Many years of health and joy ; 
Love your Bible more than play. 
Grow in wisdom every day. 
But not in this world of sin, 
For his Saviour called him in. 
Aged 1 year 1 day." 

' Dear friends don't mourn for me nor weep 
I am not dead but here do sleep 
And here I must and shall remain 
Till Christ does raise me up again " 

' Stop gentle youth and drop a tear 
For my true friend lies buried here 
She once was mnocently gay 
But now a lifeless lump of clay 
Then pity me my sad overthrow 
Nor set your heart on things below " 



Union, N. H. 



Surry, N. H. 



' He lived a friend to all mankind 
And died in hopeful peace of mind " 



Surry, N. H.. 1773 



Surry, N. H., 1799 



' His wayes were wayes of pleasantness 
All his paths were pease " 

Charleslown, N. H. 

' Let not the dead forgotten lie 
List men forgit that they must die '* 

Charleslown, N.H., 1776 

' Ah soon we must pursue 
This soul so lately fled 
And soon of you they may say too 
Ah such a one is dead " 



Piltsfield, N. H., 1825 



41 




Original poem written to Miss Annie Head's grandmother when she Was 
twenty-one years old by her friend Betsy Noyes, of Bow, N. H. 

Receive this token from a friend 

Whose love to you shall never end. 

Oft look on this little lock 

And think vs^ho tied this friendly knot. 

I hope our friendship w^ill strengthened be 

Till we meet in Eternity, 

Where soon I hope to meet in peace 

Where parting sighs and tears shall cease. 

O may this little knot of love 
Draw our precious souls above 
Where our Saviour sits and reigns 
Who has bound the monstrous death in 
chains. 

Youth like the spring will soon be gone. 

BETSY NOYES 
TO 
^ ANNA BROWN. 

August 4, 1820. 




Interest is given this quaint old poem from the locI^s of hair attached to the 
original, as photographed above. 

[ 42 1 



SIGNS AND OMENS 



If a bird came into a house, it was a sign that there would be a 
death within a year. 

Many people even now believe that pork must be killed in the new 
of the moon in order to be tender. 

Mr. Collins, who lived at Webster Lake and died a very old man 
not many years ago, believed so thoroughly in good or bad luck as 
shown by the sign of a squirrel running to the right or left across the 
road that, his son says, he often turned around when he had started 
to go anywhere and remained at home if the omen was for bad luck 
— that is, to the left. 

Dreams with many had great significance. To dream of the dead 
was sure to bring news from the absent living. To dream of a white 
horse presaged death, as did also the notes of an especial bird heard 
in the night. To hear the sharp notes of a woodtick foretold death. 
A white horse in a funeral procession foretold another speedy death ; 
and if the hearse in its passage along the highway stopped before a 
house, it was considered a sure omen of coming death in that house. 
A dream of muddy water was a forerunner of bad news from absent 
friends. To dream of seeing snakes was proof of enemies, but if the 
dreamer succeeded in killing the reptiles he could rest in the assurance 
that he would also overcome his enemies. 

It was a widespread belief that those nearing death received a 
warning by raps more or less distinct. 

If a housewife carelessly dropped her dishcloth, she was sure com- 
pany would appear. Also when a knife, fork, or scissors in falhng 
stuck upright on the floor. Did she accidentally spill salt, she care- 
fully put a pinch in the fire to prevent disaster. 

Young mothers carefully kept their infants from beholding their face 
in a mirror during the first year of life, lest it be followed by death. 
Also they refrained from cutting the tiny finger nails, lest the child 
grow up a thief. 

I 43 1 



When starting on a journey, it was prophetic of ill luck if obliged 
to turn back for a forgotten article. 

In the morning : 

" If it rains before seven. 
It will clear before eleven." 

If the sun shines on February 2d bright enough to cast a shadow, it 
will be very cold the next six weeks. 

A brilliant display of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, is a 
sign of extremely cold weather ; and when the leaves fall early in the 
autumn, it is a sign the winter will begin early and last long. 

These rhymes were considered infallible signs : 
" A rainbow at night 
Is the sailor's delight ; 
A rainbow in the morning, 
Sailors take warning." 
" Evening red and morning gray 
Will send the traveler on his way ; 
Evening gray and morning red 
Will pour down rain upon his head." 

Or another version : 

" Will keep the traveler in his bed." 

A brilliant red sunset indicates that the next day will be fine. 

When there is no dew on the grass in the morning it is a sign of 
rain ; but when there is a heavy due, or if the grass is covered with 
many cobwebs, the weather will be fine. 

If it rains while the sun shines, it is a sign it will rain the following day. 

If smoke from the chimney settles, it is a sign of rain. 

It was believed that no severe storm came during the old moon. 

When sounds were heard distinctly at long distances, it was a sign 
that a storm was near. 

In the early spring a sugar-snow, which begins with very large 
flake?, precedes the final snowstorm of the year. 

f 44 1 



A large circle around the moon indicates a storm coming ; the 
number of stars seen within the circle show the number of days before 
the storm. 

Many other signs are very curious, but were believed to foretell 
most truly. 

When the back of two chairs happened to come together, it was 
a certain sign of company coming, and the family began to prepare 
for visitors. 

When one happened to spill salt at the table, it was believed to be 
important that a pinch of salt should be thrown over the head, or 
over the right shoulder, to prevent the misfortune that would other- 
wise come. 

On leaving home, salt thrown after one would bring good luck. 

Whenever it happened that two people spoke the same word at 
the same time, if they immediately clasped their fingers and wished 
before speaking, they would have their wish. 

If one subject to rheumatism carried a horse-chestnut in his pocket, 
he would have no more rheumatism, it was believed. 

If a person's ear or cheek burned, it was a certain sign that some 
one was talking of him, or her. If the right ear burned, he was 
spoken well of ; if the left ear, it was to his disadvantage. 

If the right eye felt uncomfortable, it was a sign the person would 
soon cry ; if the left eye, he would soon laugh. 

It was believed to be very good luck to fall going upstairs (it was 
certainly good luck compared with a fall downstairs.) 

But walking under a ladder would bring misfortune ; it might pre- 
vent the person from marrying that year. 

f 45 1 



If the sun shone on the wedding-day it was a good omen, as taught 
in the couplet : 

"Happy is the bride that the sun shines on. 
And happy are the dead that the rain rains on." 

If a four-leaf clover is placed over the door, the first who passes 
under will be future husband, or wife, of the person who placed it 
there ; or, if a four-leaf clover is placed in the shoe, the wearer will 
marry the first person he, or she, meets. 

A piece of wedding-cake placed under the pillow will cause one to 
dream of the future husband, or wife. 

When going from home, if one had forgotten anything which made 
it necessary to return, bad luck would follow, unless one remembered 
to wish for something greatly desired. 

If by chance one put on a garment wrong side out, it meant great 
good luck if worn so. If the garment were turned, however, the good 
luck would be changed, unless the wearer wished for something while 
turning the garment. 

It was believed that if a cricket were killed in the house, some mis- 
fortune would follow. 

It was a good omen for swallows to build nests in the chimneys or 
eaves. 

A spider must never be killed in the house, for bad luck would be 
certain to follow. 

ABOUT BEES 

A swarm in May 

Is worth a ton of hay. 

A swarm m June 

Is worth a silver spoon. 

A swarm in July 
Is n't worth a fly. 

1 46 1 



WITCHCRAFT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 



All New Hampshire people may take pride in the fact that during 
the early generations after the first settlements were made, and when 
people of all European countries were so much controlled by the 
superstitions of the time, no executions of witches ever took place in 
our State. This seems the more remarkable, for the reason that during 
that time persons accused of witchcraft were executed by thousands 
in England and Scotland. 

They believed witches had power to cause disease, to cause severe 
storms. It was firmly believed in all civilized countries that witches 
could ride through the air, wherever they pleased, on a broomstick, 
with incredible speed (a most simple method of aerial navigation, of 
which the secret is lost). Witches had the power to pass through 
bolted doors, even through solid walls. They also had the advantage 
of being able to assume the appearance of any one they chose to per- 
sonate, or to take the form of any animal, the cat being the favorite 
animal. 

While none were executed, arrests in a few instances were made. 
In 1656 a woman at Little Harbor, Piscataqua, was accused of 
being a witch. A neighbor charged that the witch caused her to 
suffer severe illness because she refused to lend her a pound of cotton ; 
and testified that she (the accused) vanished toward the waterside in 
the shape of a cat. 

Another testified that a little after sunset she saw a yellowish cat, 
and she was followed by a cat wherever she went. Her husband 
came and saw the cat in the garden. He took down his gun to shoot 
it, but the cat ran up a tree and " the gun would not take fire." After- 
ward she saw three cats, but she could not tell which way they went. 
The husband of the deponent testified to the same effect. 

It is interesting to note that the woman accused of being a witch 
brought action of slander in the County Court March 22, 1669, 
against a man for saying she was a witch, and he could prove her 
one. Verdict was rendered for the plaintiff, with five pounds for dam- 
age and costs of court. 

( 47 1 



LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS 



MRS. JENNIE B. WADLEIGH 
MRS. SARAH F. DEARBORN 
MRS. ANNA T. BUSH 
MRS. NATHANIEL HEAD 
MISS ANNIE S. HEAD 
MRS. ABBIE B. KILBURN 
MISS HATTIE A. WILKINS 
MISS JESSIE M. FISHER 
MRS. ELLA F. TREDICK 
MRS. KATE R. WARREN 
MRS. ALMENIA B. DWINEL 
MRS. ISABELLE B. MARR 



MISS ELIZABETH CHAMBERLAIN 
MRS. ANNA B. ROBERTS 
MRS. MARION WALLACE GARDNER 
MRS. GEORGE E. HART 
MRS. ANNABELLE WASHBURN 
MRS. IDA MAY LAWTON 
MRS. MABEL S. PHILBRICK 
MRS. OLIVE RAND CLARKE 
MISS MARY C. PRAY 

MRS. MARY M. SIBLEY 

MR. JAMES B. McGregor 

(aged 108 years) 




^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



014 041 506 6 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



014 041 506 6 



014 041 506 6 



Conservation Resources 
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